Let’s cut to the chase… Writing awards is not everyone’s idea of fun! They can take so long to do, especially when you consider you’ll pull together an average 1,000 words – or in the case of one award type, more like 5,000 words by the time you’ve answered all the questions! And who can remember what they did last week, never mind last year?!
And in the middle of everything you have going on right now… who has time to do all that?! I’ve been writing award entries for about 7 years now… so I get it.
So, let me tell you 5 reasons why you should definitely enter them – but to commit time to really focusing on writing for the categories you enter. Because if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly!
- Giving yourself time to reflect is rewarding
If you’re someone who likes to start your year by reflecting on life, then it may be helpful to think of entering awards as a really good way to reflect on your franchise: how far you’ve come, how far your network and staff have grown, and what’s been accomplished over the year.
According to psychology, humans tend to have a bias toward negativity. Not only do we focus more on the negative stuff that happens, but we’re more likely to dwell on it too. So, to make the most of entering any kind of award:
- Take time out – with or without your team…
- why not make it a lunch or breakfast meeting so you’re more relaxed?
- Don’t rush the process
- Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need – this means you can really dig down and reflect on your network performance over the last year.
- It’s a powerful tool for bringing clarity and focus
By setting aside a block of time to really reflect on the past year for your entry, things you’d forgotten will come to the surface, leaving you feeling better about what you’re doing, even if you’re facing more challenges at the time of writing!
Use the award’s category criteria to shape your questions and reflections, as well as drawing upon your business goal attainment. By creating a sense of cognitive diffusion –looking at the past, rather than being in it – writing your entry can become a powerful tool to bring clarity for the future of your business.
As someone who’s judged awards, as well as written them, it’s clear when someone’s taken the time to not just read the criteria, but to reflect on their franchise and network.
And I know from experience of when I’ve done this with clients, you’ll always remember something you’d forgotten about, which brings a smile of satisfaction. The world needs more smiles, right now!
- It’s cause for personal celebration – even if you’re not shortlisted
You know what – by having enough content to have made the judging process so hard to finalise, is phenomenal!
This is why you can also use the shortlist of finalists – or just the winner – as a benchmark for growing and improving your brand, where needed.
But don’t feel deflated about not being shortlisted. Use what you’d written in your entry to tell your brand and network’s stories. Celebrate the people who are helping you grow your franchise or business, based on your reflections. Pull out elements you’d identified within your entry or evidence, which you know would make a good Blog, PR piece, or Social Media post – such as quotes from franchisees or customers; you could even build a case study to help tell your story.
Celebrate in-house, as much as you may have done if you had been shortlisted – your network and team could do with the emotional boost as much as you did.
- It’s time to dance on the table – if you are shortlisted
(not literally?!)
I say this because as a finalist, whether you win or not isn’t relevant… you have been recognised as one of the top achievers for that category. And that’s something to sing, dance, and shout about.
Your success comes down to several things:
- Your vision
- Your model
- Your franchisees
- Your customers
- Your team
By tapping into the additional PR opportunities being shortlisted for an award offers you, I’d encourage you to get quotes / comments / case studies for those in each category, to help you tell the story of your success. Tying it always back to the award you’re a finalist for. People buy from people – so use the people who are helping your brand to help you shout about what your brand/or business is doing well.
And the badge you’ve earned will look good in your content – especially if it’s a legitimate award. So, use it wherever and whenever you can between the shortlist announcement and the day of the award. It’s a boost to your credibility.
- The credibility is great for building brand awareness
Not all awards are created equal. Depending on what you’ve entered, and the category you’ve chosen – some awards will carry more weight than others. Choosing the right ones and entering the right categories could lead you to attracting people who want to know more about your brand: Both customers and prospective franchisees.
As a finalist, you’ll have tons of content you can use, leading up to the Awards event. And tons more you can do on the day or night itself. Don’t be shy about your success.
However, as there can only be one winner, you’d also better start practicing your Joey “Gracious Loser” face, just in case!! Although, within franchising, I tend to see genuine appreciation for the winners from the other finalists who lost out to them.
I remember one BFA Award’s night, I had 2 finalists from different clients in one category and then I was sat at the table with the 3rd finalist. Awkward!!! Thankfully, one of my guys won… but I could see the admiration on the face of the one who didn’t win as he watched the video of the winner. My other guy who didn’t win became friends with the winner, and then bought his son a franchise within the winning network!
And of course, winning feels so good!
Anyone who’s felt the cold hard metal or glass of an award, knows how amazing that feeling is on the day! Who doesn’t want to keep chasing that high?!
So, now you know the power of entering awards, here are a couple of my top tips to maximise your opportunity:
- Select which awards you’re going to enter, carefully. How do they align with your business / franchise goals, and what benefit will they offer your brand/network?
- Select the right category for you/your franchisee. Don’t enter just because you think it sounds good but because you know you have what it takes to win. I remember reading a franchise award entry once, for a business that wasn’t a franchise.
- Treat it like an assignment… scrutinise what the judges will be looking for, answer the criteria, then back up what you say with the right evidence and data – especially from your franchisees’ perspective. Give the judges something to judge!
- Stand out from the crowd… especially if you’re entering a “businesswoman” type award or category… chances are a lot of entrants will be balancing business with motherhood, so find your true USP.
- Don’t bore the judges… Connect them with your story… They’re people too.